It's Not Much; But It's All I've Got

Before God ruled His people with powerful kings, he delivered them with great judges. Shamgar was the third of these judges.

Let me give you some background about what is happening during this time. Israel had a habit of turning from God. And in this particular time there was a definite need of deliverance. They people of Israel found themselves completely at the mercy of their old time enemies the Philistines!

It was so bad in fact that if any Israelite succeeded in raising a crop of wheat, no sooner would he have it threshed that the Philistines would swarm his farm and take it all from him. The people were in dire need of help! It went without saying that times were bad!

Well guess what; even a bigger problem for the Israelites was the problem of discouragement; low company morale!

For the most part they didn’t even think they had a fighting chance. The Philistines had them so convinced of defeat that they have even surrendered all weapons of war. They had even disallowed any blacksmiths to remain in Israel.

So just prior to our passage of scripture it is safe to say the setting present us with a people who had no weapons, nor even possessed the ability to make any. The morale was gone, they felt defeated and even worse they felt hopeless.

They weren’t looking for a brighter day, they had lost confidence in themselves and they had even lost faith in God!

But the last few words of verse 33 say’s that Israel was saved! Yes even to those utterly discouraged, defeated Israelites: DELIVERANCE CAME!

I imagine that at the last city council meeting no-one stood up and said: “I make a motion we elect Shamgar as Mayor”! No this morning we are about to discover that their deliverance came from the most unexpected source!

Deliverance you see was about to come from a man who didn’t have a political in, he wasn’t related to the king, didn’t have a college degree, or even any military experience!

In fact in today’s society he would just be called an ole common Joe!

The only trophy on his mantel at home was probably just that one from the county 4H that named him the best oxen driver in Israel!

Yet it was this Ox driver that God chose to work deliverance in Israel!

Well Pastor you may be thinking why did God choose Shamgar for such a task: I want to look at the reasons why God would select such a person with you this morning but before we go there let me erase from your mind some misconceptions about why God chose him.

You see it wasn’t because of his disadvantages! It wasn’t because he was on some special list in heaven! It wasn’t because he was voted the most likely to succeed by his senior class!

It wasn’t because Shamgar last name was the same as most of the members of Israel 1st church!

NO…God chose Shamgar because Shamgar possessed the qualities that made it possible to be used however God wanted to use him!

Oh that today we would recognize all God really wants is an open willing surrendered heart!

Let s look together at the qualities that Shamgar possessed:

1.Shamgar possessed the right amount of noble discontentment

Shamgar wasn’t satisfied with the status quo!

In fact I believe that it made him sick to his stomach to realize that he was being bossed around by the one time enemy!

He was filled with an inner rage every time he heard of some one else being overtaken by the enemy! When he saw his neighbor’s wheat being carried off, when he stood in his window and watched as his very own oxen were driven away, he was beside himself! The sight of such would cause him to clench his fist and he became upset with what he saw!

Now because Shamgar was filled with this anger there was hope for him!

You see it is bad enough to allow Satan to beat us up, but to be content to remain beat up is even worse!

It is bad enough to be imprisoned: but to request the post office forward all your mail there is even worse!

To find yourself living with the pigs is one thing: but to be content at calling the pig lot home is another!

To be lost in sin is one thing: but to desire to stay away from God among the stench of this old world is worse!

But listen my friend… to be in the church and yet not doing anything for God is bad enough: But to come to the point where you have convinced yourself that you have reached your spiritual pinnacle and you have experienced God’s best ever for you is a supreme tragedy!